Iraq
ISIS Rising – The War is Not Over Yet.
The Pentagon says ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq number between 14,000 and 18,000, up from 10,000 at the birth of the Caliphate in summer 2014. It still carries out 60 attacks a month in Iraq alone and is active in the Sahel, the Philippines and Afghanistan. And the US believes the group can access a war chest of hundreds of millions of dollars.
EXCLUSIVE MEMBERS SCREENING: Official Secrets + Q&A
Ahead of its UK release on 18th October, Frontline Club members are invited to an exclusive preview screening of new feature film OFFICIAL SECRETS at The May Fair Hotel on Wednesday 16th October.
Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade + Q&A
Join us for a special preview screening of new BBC investigation “Undercover with the clerics: Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade” ahead of its broadcast. Followed by a discussion/Q&A with the film’s production team.
End of the Caliphate
Ivor Prickett’s book End of the Caliphate is the result of months spent on the ground in Iraq and Syria between 2016 and 2018 photographing the battle to defeat ISIS. Working exclusively for the New York Times, Ivor was often embedded with Iraqi and Syrian Kurdish forces as he documented both the fighting and its toll on the civilian population and urban landscape.
Iraq: A State of Mind – Screening + Q&A
BBC Arabic returns to the Frontline Club for an exclusive screening of ‘Iraq: A State of Mind’ followed by a Q&A with Director Namak Khoshnaw and Head of Documentaries Christopher Mitchell.
Frontline Fringe: The Big Lie, by Shaniaz Hama Ali + Q&A
The Big Lie makes us question our own morality. In Shaniaz’s shoes, would we take on the case?
Travels Through A Middle East in Revolt: An Evening with Emma Sky and Lyse Doucet
According to Emma Sky, the Middle East is in a ‘Time Of Monsters’. Where have these monsters come from? Join us for an evening with two regional experts with diverse experiences to dig deeper into the origins, complexities and fallout of these forces at large in the Arab World – and their relationship with Europe and beyond.
Watch the video stream of In a Time Of Monsters with Emma Sky and Lyse Doucet
How To Lose A Country: an Evening with Ece Temelkuran and Patrick Cockburn
You may have noticed that Populism is getting quite… popular. In the last 20 years, populist parties in Europe have tripled their votes. By 2018, they were in government in 11 countries. Populist leaders now govern countries with a combined population of over 2 billion people. How did we get here? Where are we going? What’s at stake?
Watch the video stream of How to Lose a Country
Magnum Chronicles: A Brief Visual History in the Time of ISIS
We present and discuss the first issue, A Brief Visual History in the Time of ISIS, which includes over 40 images from the Magnum archive, exploring the history and effects of the fall-out from ISIS and their actions over the recent past.
Stacey Dooley – Face to Face with ISIS
The Frontline Club will be screening a new BBC documentary, Stacey Dooley – Face to Face with ISIS followed by a Q&A with Stacey and director Joshua Baker.
Athens Event – Screening: MOSUL + Q&A
The Frontline Club in partnership with the Foreign Press Association of Greece will be screening MOSUL, by Olivier Sarbil and James Jones followed by a Q&A with Olivier and James at the Romantso in Athens.
“I Saw My City Die”
Modern warfare is taking conflict back into the cities, with disastrous effects on civilian populations. Our panel share their experiences of city warfare across the Middle East and Europe.
Screening: MOSUL + Q&A
The Frontline Club will be screening MOSUL, a new film by Olivier Sarbil and James Jones followed by a Q&A with Olivier and James. In October 2016, an elite team of Iraqi Special Forces was tasked with leading the fight to defeat ISIS in Mosul. It was the beginning of a brutal battle of attrition […]
The Soft Power of Diasporas
When people think of diaspora populations, their first thought tends to be of refugee populations, the migrant crisis, and communities fleeing conflict as a result of what’s reported in the media. However, this is only part of the story. Often these scattered populations across the globe continue to have an enormous impact on their homelands. The European Research Council has sponsored 5 years of extensive research and close to 500 first-hand interviews of displaced peoples in Europe, and what influences and impacts they continue to have on their homelands.
Screening: No Friends But the Mountains + Q&A
With the independence referendum of Iraqi Kurdistan set for 25th September 2017, The Frontline Club will be hosting a film screening night along with a Q&A with the makers of the film to discuss the possible outcomes.
Freelancer on the Frontlines Screening + Q&A Jesse Rosenfeld
Join us for the screening ‘Freelancer on the Frontlines’ which follows the life and work of journalist Jesse Rosenfeld, followed by a Q&A with Jesse himself.
Canadian freelance reporter Jesse Rosenfeld has made the Middle East the focus of his work, and to make a living he has to keep up with constantly moving news targets. Freelancer on the Front Lines follows his journey across the region, showing us thorny geopolitical realities shaped by the events transforming the Middle East and exploring how journalism practices have changed in the age of the internet.
Giles Duley and Emergency UK: What next for Mosul?
Join us for a discussion of Giles Duley’s most recent photography work from Erbil, Iraq. He will be joined by Emergency UK’s Dr Armour-Marshall who has just returned from the frontline.
Screening: Letters from Baghdad + Q&A
Letters from Baghdad is the story of a true original — Gertrude Bell — sometimes called the “female Lawrence of Arabia”. Voiced and executive produced by Academy award winning actor Tilda Swinton, the film tells the dramatic story of this British spy, explorer and political powerhouse. Bell traveled widely in Arabia before being recruited by British military intelligence during WWI to help draw the borders of Iraq. This unforgettable documentary takes unique look at both a remarkable woman and the tangled history of Iraq, while transporting us into a past that is eerily current.
Double Bill Screening: The Battle for Iraq & Hunting ISIS + Q&A
We are delighted to present a double bill screening of the films The Battle for Iraq (33′) and Hunting ISIS (24′) from PBS FRONTLINE. This screening will be followed by a discussion with filmmakers Joshua Baker, Olivier Sarbil and others.
First Wednesday: Chilcot and the Legacy of Iraq
Seven years after the announcement of the Iraq Inquiry by then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the long-awaited Chilcot Inquiry report into the UK’s involvement in Iraq from 2001 until 2009 is finally due to be published on Wednesday 6 July. We will be joined by a panel of experts to hear their initial reactions to the report – and without the power to assign criminal culpability, we will consider its potential impact in bringing those accountable to justice and in assuring that a foreign policy disaster of this scale is not repeated.
Understanding Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea
Although the ideology is little understood, salafi-jihadism has played a profound role in shaping global politics in recent years. With the unprecedented territorial gains and political rise of groups such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh, islamist extremism has become the most significant socio-religious force of our time. Join us to discuss the origins and evolution of the ideas behind salafi-jihadism, as well as its primary aims and growing prominence in recent years.
The New War Photographers: In the Picture with David Birkin
For the second in a series of events in partnership with PARC, the University of the Arts London photography research centre based at London College of Communication, we are delighted to welcome artist David Birkin to discuss his work that challenges elements of censorship and spectacle in the so-called War on Terror.
War Zone Freelance Exhibition – The Story Behind the News
By Thomas Colson A panel of freelance journalists and photographers joined an audience at the Frontline Club on Thursday 28 January 2016 to discuss the story behind a new exhibition of freelance war photography. Osie Greenway, Anne Alling, Benjamin Hiller and Jeffry Ruigendijk introduced photography and footage from their time in the Middle East – particularly Iraq, Syria and Lebanon […]
First Wednesday: The Fight Against Daesh
Since the Paris attacks on 13 November, world leaders have seemingly put grievances aside to unite in a newly energised fight against Daesh – but what can be achieved by bombing the already bombed-out cities of Syria? For the first First Wednesday of 2016 we will be bringing together a panel to discuss the diplomatic, logistical and ideological challenges of the fight against Daesh.
Gulwali Passarlay’s Journey as a Refugee from Afghanistan to the UK
By Aletha Adu On Wednesday 18 November, Gulwali Passarlay enlightened a packed audience at the Frontline Club into his journey as an unaccompanied child refugee from Afghanistan to the United Kingdom. Joined by former Afghanistan correspondent for the BBC David Loyn, and Nadene Ghouri who co-authored his book The Lightless Sky, Passarlay was keen to […]
Emma Sky: The Unravelling of Iraq
By Alexandra Sarabia On Wednesday 20 May, a conversation between Emma Sky and The Guardian’s Middle East editor, Ian Black, drew a packed house to the Frontline Club. Interested audience members and former colleagues of Sky were present to listen to the highly-regarded Iraq expert, and to celebrate and discuss her latest book, The Unravelling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities […]
Granta: In Conversation with Janine di Giovanni and Charles Glass
By Amy McConaghy On Tuesday 5 May, Middle East editor of Newsweek Janine di Giovanni and veteran broadcaster and journalist Charles Glass joined an audience at the Frontline Club for an insightful discussion chaired by Sigrid Rausing, editor of Granta magazine. Reflecting on the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the human realities of war, di Giovanni and Glass discussed their recent […]
In Conversation with Emma Sky: Iraq – The Unravelling
In what was only meant to be a three month trip, Emma Sky travelled to Iraq in 2003 having volunteered to help rebuild the country immediately after the invasion and overthrow of Saddam Hussein. She soon found herself as a political advisor to the US military and three months turned into a decade. She will be joining us in conversation with The Guardian‘s Middle East editor, Ian Black to share her unique insight into the US military, and the complexities, diversity and evolution of Iraqi society as documented in her new book The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq.
UK’s Laws for Foreign Fighters Returning from Syria Need Nuance
By Graham Lanktree At the Frontline Club on 14 January, Shiraz Maher, a senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ISCR) at King’s College; Moazzam Begg, a former Guantánamo Bay prisoner turned activist with the UK group Cage; and former MI6 director of global counter-terrorism Richard Barrett, now […]
ISIS is here for a generation
By Richard Nield The threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and the international network of militants it has spawned will be with us for a “generation”, according to experts speaking at the Frontline Club on Wednesday 24 September 2014.